Lingering Presence
by Perpetual Concern
Summary: Touko didn't know why she always returned to the Ferris wheel whenever she was in Nimbasa City. It wasn't as if he was ever there.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own Pokemon.

**A/N: **I started this some time ago, and looked at it again today. I decided that I have far too many unfinished fanfictions saved on my computer and decided to have a go at finishing this one. This is my first published fanfiction with these characters. I hope no one is too OOC. I think I may have experiemented a little with Touko's character, since she is the player character which doesn't give me that much to work with. Please feel free to let me know what you think in a review.

* * *

Unfezant flapped his wings one last time and descended, the claws on his feet digging into the ground that was damp from the sudden rainfall the previous night. Touko hopped off the pokemon, her heart still hammering in her chest; she had never quite gotten over her fear of heights. She could fly on her Pokémon, but her hands still gripped on tightly and sometimes she squeezed her eyes shut when she couldn't bear to continue looking down on the ground that felt so impossibly far away and so dangerous.

It made her wonder exactly what she was doing in Nimbasa City, famous for its Ferris Wheel and rollercoaster.

"Thanks, Unfezant," she whispered, stroking the feathers on her pokemon's head. It cooed in response and nuzzled up to her before Touko returned it to its Pokéball. She glanced around her; it was still early in the morning but the city was already buzzing with activity. No wonder some referred to it as the city that never sleeps. There was something for everyone here; Touko enjoyed a bit of everything that Nimbasa had to offer.

She always made it a point to visit the Battle Subway, as it was good practice.

Both sport stadiums were always filled with people, mostly trainers eager to battle, that is, when there wasn't a game on. It was on those days that she enjoyed a well-earned break from training to cheer for her favourite team.

She even enjoyed watching musicals on occasion, although she rarely entered her own pokemon. It was difficult to imagine dressing them up in some of the props she had acquired over the years. What would Zekrom do if Touko dressed him up in a grass skirt or an apron? She almost giggled out loud at the mere thought. Never would she subject her proud pokemon to it if they had no interest in it. Only her Musharna had been curious enough to try it, and both Pokémon and trainer had gotten a good laugh out of it. But there was nothing like a battle; musicals could never cut it for Touko.

Touko looked around her, and smiled faintly, her eyes locked on the arc above her. It was almost as if her feet had walked her here without her consent. Why did she always make her way to the amusement park before any of the other attractions?

She didn't know, but she always made her way to the Ferris Wheel first. Rollercoaster's didn't much appeal to her and she only gave it a passing glance before a voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Touko!"

Her heart jumped at the sound of the male voice and she whirled around, her blue eyes lighting up for a reason she herself did not know. Then her eyes found the owner of the voice, and she forced a smile onto her face as she called out casually, "Hey, Austin."

"What's up?" He looked her over before adding, "Want to battle?"

"Always happy to," Touko answered, her mouth curving into a smile.

This was how it always went. They battled, and then they would ride on the Ferris wheel together. It was routine, a routine that was never broken. As expected, Austin called out his Swoobat and she immediately released Stoutland who growled and tensed. Swoobat backed away, visibly nervous.

"Crunch," Touko ordered.

"Dodge it now!" Austin called, and his Swoobat narrowly evaded the dog pokemon's razor teeth.

It was only a matter of time really; Swoobat couldn't beat her Stoutland. Touko had battled Austin multiple times, as was their routine, and as far as she knew, he never had any other pokemon with him. She had once used another pokemon against him, but Austin had been disappointed. Everyone had goals. Right now, one of his, he told her, was for his Swoobat to beat her Stoutland.

What was Touko's goal? She had successfully earned every gym badge in the region. She had beaten the elite four twice, and the champion once. She had taken down Team Plasma and ensured that their plans would never succeed. She had travelled all over Unova and explored every inch of it.

What was left?

Perhaps she should try her hand at another region, Touko mused, as she called out coolly, "Work Up, Stoutland."

Maybe she was getting too cocky; maybe Austin had figured out a sure-fire win strategy. Perhaps a TM? Without a super effective move, his Swoobat had no chance. Was it possible for a Swoobat to learn a fight type move? If so, she would have to rethink her usual strategy. But as soon as Stoutland successfully landed a Crunch attack, the battle would be over; Work Up would guarantee that. Touko had long ago learnt the value of stat enhancing moves and frequently used them to her advantage.

Austin leaned forward, and Touko suddenly found herself looking into his eyes for what felt like the first time and feeling surprise wash over her.

'He has such a light in his eyes. He's really enjoying this, much more so than I am. What's the matter with me? It's like I've lost my love for battling…'

How had this happened? What had changed?

It was as if as soon as Touko had explored every corner of Unova, she had suddenly lost all purpose for battling. That wasn't how her journey was supposed to go; it wasn't supposed to have an end, it should have lasted for as long as she and her Pokémon were able. It should have remained enjoyable and she should have always felt that spark of excitement as she began each and every battle, no matter who the competitor was.

"Swoobat, use Psychic!"

Touko's eyes widened in shock when Stoutland suddenly slumped to the ground, the wave eliciting a small whine of pain from his throat; was the battle over? Had she _lost_? The sheer idea was incomprehensible, ludicrous; nobody had ever beaten her since her recent win against Alder. Surely this trainer, who had never even come close to winning against her, would never be able to successfully defeat her, lest of all at this point in time. Surely the amount of time which had passed was too short for his Swootbat to gain strength enough to defeat her Stoutland.

"Stoutland!" she blurted out in shock and alarm, and found herself frozen to the spot, her eyes locked on her pokemon who looked as if it were struggling to stand up. Had Swoobat levelled up multiple times since she and Austin had last battled? Impossible. It had only been a week or so.

Touko knew that Psychic was a powerful move, and since Swoobat earned a same type attack bonus with it, it was sure to do some damage, but Stoutland could barely move!

Pills to increase special attack? Feathers from the bridge? What had changed?

'Should I call it quits?' It had been awhile since one of her pokemon had been damaged so badly in one hit and Touko wasn't sure if she should allow the loyal dog pokemon to continue in its state. Her stomach turned and Touko suddenly realised that it had been a long time since she had felt anxiety about the possibility of losing. Had she grown proud and cocky? Was she overconfident and arrogant? And would her precious Pokémon pay the price for her egotism?

"Stout…" A low growl sounded and suddenly Stoutland was standing up, determination flashing in its eyes.

Touko leaned forward as she asked quietly, "You want to keep going?"

"Stout!" It nodded its head and Touko suddenly felt as if she were about to explode from sheer exhilaration. The spark was back and it was electrifying.

"This battle isn't over yet, Austin!" she yelled, before ordering, "Crunch, one more time!" Her lips curved up into a smile; she had really needed a battle like this to teach her all about the love of battling. She could barely believe that she had forgotten what it was like.

Stoutland charged and Swoobat collapsed as the dog pokemon sank its teeth into it. A tense silence followed and Austin's mouth had dropped open as he clenched his fists and waited for a sign that Swoobat had survived the hit and was capable of continuing.

"Swoo…" It flopped on its back, clearly too fatigued to fight back and Austin was at its side in three steps.

He stroked it gently and whispered, "You did great, Swoobat. We'll beat them next time."

Touko knelt down in the dirt and began to rummage around in her bag, before removing two spray bottles. "Austin!" She tossed him a Max Potion which he gratefully accepted and used on Swoobat. It looked perkier in seconds and Touko sprayed Stoutland with one.

"Swoobat, return." The bat pokemon disappeared in a bright flash of light and Austin held his hand out. "Thanks, Touko, once again, for a great battle! Want to ride the Ferris Wheel again?"

"Sure thing. Stoutland, return." Touko felt giddy and almost light-headed as she and Austin entered the small compartment and sat down. The Ferris wheel began to move, and Touko's heartbeat quickened as she glanced outside, Nimbasa City growing ever smaller as they rose hight and higher.

Out of the corner of her eye, Touko could see that Austin too was enjoying the view, and just as she turned her head, a flash of white sped blurrily by. Touko jumped in her seat. "Did you see that?" she asked Austin. "Did you see that white thing?" Excitement bubbled up inside her but burst immediately upon Austin's reply.

Austin blinked. "The Swanna?"

Touko couldn't refrain from slumping down in her seat, unable to keep the disappointment out of her eyes. "Oh…I thought…Never mind."

Austin smiled kindly at her and placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Looking out for something?"

She shook her head slowly, almost mechanically, still looking wistfully out of the window. 'No…' _Not something...someone..._

* * *

Bright sunlight filtered through the curtains of Touko's rented room in the Pokemon Centre and the girl groaned, yanking the covers over her face. Exhaustion had settled in and she wanted nothing more than a good sleep-in. But as she nestled into the warm bed, her Xtransceiver beeped. Bianca's beaming face blurred before her, and Touko rubbed her tired eyes.

"Where are you?" Bianca looked far too cheerful for this time of the morning.

"Nimbasa."

"Oh, did I wake you? Sorry! I was hoping for a battle, but I guess it'll have to wait. Oh, Cheren might be in the area. Wait...why are you in Nimbasa _again_? Do you ever leave?" Bianca's tone was curious, but to Touko's ears it was accusing.

"Yes!" Touko nearly shouted defensively.

Bianca frowned. "Okay then. Well, I have to go. Bye!"

Touko tossed her Xtransceiver into her bag and pulled the covers over her face. A low growl had her up and alert again, but when she saw that it was only her Samurott, she groaned and flopped back down again. Samurott nudged her.

"Let me sleep!" she begged, her voice still hoarse with sleep. "I never get to sleep in anymore."

But her Pokémon refused to take no for an answer, and continued to nudge her noisily until eventually, Touko conceded defeat and rose reluctantly to follow Samurott to the window of the small room. She peered through the open curtains and looked down at the lively city of Nimbasa. Apparently, not many people enjoyed the luxury of a sleep-in here. There were already crowds of people. Some were hovering around stalls, some were marching briskly to an unknown destination and some huddled in small groups, talking to one another. Touko couldn't understand why her starter Pokémon was so adamant that she look at the scene, which was far from new to her. But she humoured him, and brushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face as she looked and looked for something that she didn't know she was looking for. Samurott too was peering out, and looked suddenly disappointed before moving away from the window. He looked at Touko almost apologetically.

"Is it gone?"

He nodded and looked so utterly miserable that Touko felt compelled to stroke his head.

"It's okay. Was it something cool? Was it a Pokémon you wanted to talk to, or a trainer-" Touko started almost violently. "Was it...was it _him_? Or did you think it could be _him_?"

Samurott nodded. Touko dove for her bag and began rifling through the contents. Suddenly boundlessly energetic, she got dressed quickly, checked she had all of her Pokémon with her, safely encased in their Pokéballs, and finally rushed out the door with Samurottt following closely behind her. She nearly tripped down the stairs in her haste and slowed down just enough for her to reach the lower floor safely. As she raced out the door she allowed Samurott to lead her, and the two ran throughout the busy streets of Nimbasa together. They passed the stadiums, and the subway and the gym before making their way to their final guess, the Ferris Wheel. There was no sight of their target, and Touko was beginning to have difficulty breathing. She signalled for Samurott to stop, and leaned against a streetlamp as she tried to catch her breath, sucking in as much oxygen as she could into her burning lungs. Her legs felt as if they were made of lead and they nearly buckled beneath her weight. Touko slid down and her breathing was ragged. Samurott sat down beside her and looked at her with concern evident in his eyes.

Minuted passed before Touko spoke. "I don't think he's here. I don't think he was ever here." Her throat felt as if it were on fire and unwanted tears burned behind her eyelids. "T-Thanks for trying, Samurott." She allowed her eyes to close in an attempt to prevent the inevitable flood of tears.

She felt completely and utterly ridiculous. She was a fool, and she couldn't understand why she had such a burning desire to see him again.

"I don't get it, Samurott. I'm sure that he's out on his own journey, the one that he missed out on because of that whole mess with Team Plasma. I don't think he's coming back. But I want him to so badly and I just can't understand why. I just feel this need to speak with him. I feel as if there are a whole bunch of things that I want to ask him. Am I just being an idiot?" Touko raised her head and gazed at her Pokémon who shook his head resolutely and moved closer to her.

"And I just want to believe, for some inexplicable reason, that he's going to come back here. I mean, why here? We shared _one _ride together, just one, and he told me the truth about who he was. It was shocking! I was almost scared, because I felt that Team Plasma was dangerous, and there I was, squeezed in a small space, with their leader." Touko was relieved as she desire to cry faded away. "I guess I just feel...let down, as silly as it sounds. I mean, he said he was leaving, and it hasn't been all _that _long, really, right?" She stood up. Samurott too rose.

Touko looked straight into her Pokémon's eyes. "He's not coming back. And even if he did come back to this region, there's no reason why he'd come to the Ferris Wheel, and there's certainly no reason why he'd seek me out. Come on Samurott. Let's go. I think that I'm going to look into travelling to another region. I'm going to keep training, and I'm going to gather other badges, and I'm going to forget all about finding N."

Out of the corner of Touko's eye, she thought she saw a flash of green invading her peripheral vision. But upon whirling around, she saw nothing, and nobody there. She supposed that it was just his lingering presence, constantly giving her false hope and she resolved to never again visit Nimbasa City unless she had proper cause to do so, because searching for somebody that wasn't coming back just didn't cut it anymore.


End file.
